Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Why labels are so important

If you bought a Snickers Bar and unwrapped it to find a Milky Way, would it really make a difference? They're both candy bars and they both contain chocolate.

I, for one, would be pissed. I love Snickers. But Milky Way bars leave me cold. And candy bars are only the beginning. Most people want what they want, and they want it now. There's nothing more frustrating to me to expect one thing and end up with another.

Point in case: The Family Stone. Loved the previews. Diane Keaton, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Luke Wilson. What's not to love about that? All the clips were hilarious. I even blogged about how stoked I was to see the movie. So I went expecting a comedy. The movie has been out long enough on DVD now, that I don't think I'm spoiling anything to say that all the funny parts are in the previews and ultimately, it's more a family drama than comedy. Boy, was I not happy. Not that I don't like family drama. When I'm in the mood for it. But it was the holidays and I wanted what I was promised in the packaging-- a comedy. Not family melodrama that makes me feel guilty for not keeping my appointment to have my boobs squashed (a la mammogram).

Another example: Adam Sandler's Click. I went to see that last weekend. Again, all the funny bits are in the previews. Except the bit about the kid getting hit in the head with a baseball. Am I like, the only person in America that doesn't think that's funny? Yeah, the kid is a complete shit, but we're talking possible head trauma here. Okay, I know that's the mother and the nurse in me coming out, but I just don't think a kid getting whacked in the head with a baseball is funny. Sorry.

Click is basically a modern rip off of Dicken's A Christmas Carol. Done very badly. When the highlight of the film is the family dog humping an oversized stuffed animal, you know the writers were desperate.

So, what's the point of my blog? I guess it's Don't Piss off the Consumer (that would be me). Not that Hollywood really cares about my $8. Both films made millions. But I feel better just griping it about it.

8 comments:

Lucy said...

I felt exactly the same way about The Family Stone. Was not at all prepared for the movie it was. Not that it was bad but it DEFINITELY was NOT what it was advertised to be.

Thanks for the heads-up on Click because it was on my "to see" list.

The Girl You Used to Know said...

okay, you are the only person in the world who doesn't find the kid getting hit in the head with the ball funny. I think that's the best preview of all of them. LOL

Ellen said...

Weeelll Mel, I'm with Maria. LOL. I didn't mind Sandler punching David Hasselhoff in the previews, but it's hard for me to watch kids get hurt (even when they're little shits).

But, I liked Family Stone. You're right--it was definitely more drama than comedy and bittersweet. But something about it touched me. Now, Failure to Launch (also with Sara Jessica P.)...THAT disappointed me to no end.

Maria Geraci said...

Ellen,
Are you my long lost twin? I thought I was the only person in America who didn't like Failure to Launch. The secondary characters were so much more interesting than the h/h and the main romance was just too predictable.
And Mel, as for being the ONLY person in the world who doesn't find the kid being hit in the head with the ball funny, well, ahem, I would beg to differ on that. C'mon, on! How can that be funny???

Lucy said...

What was wrong with Failure to Launch (other than Terry Bradshaw was nekkid WAYYYYYYY too long! and Matthew wasn't enough)?

Maria Geraci said...

Was Terry naked??? Okay, I admit to falling asleep during part of the movie(I saw it on the flight back from Acapulco) so I must have missed that part. Now, if it had been Matthew naked, it would have been a different story!

The Girl You Used to Know said...

it's funny.

It's very funny.

Every kid gets hit with a baseball at one point or another. it's not like it was thrown by an adult and would hit him at 90 mph.

hell, i've wanted to hit my own kids with a baseball a time or two...And since in reality, I would never do that, watching an adult get to make that happen to a punk ass is brilliant.

yes. I would've don the same thing.

Ellen said...

I'm laughing again--Mel, you crack me up!

L, I think Maria's right that the secondary characters in Failure to Launch outshined the primary. I love Matthew--he's HOT, but I found him lukewarm in this (I liked him in Sahara). Also, at the end, it went from conflict to none in a matter of seconds--I thought "huh?" I wanted to like it, but I was disappointed instead. Naked Terry B. didn't bother me though. LOL.

 

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